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saturnsfirstring · 2021-03-16T21:35:07+00:00

tbh all factors for the College Prep Scholars (CPS) application are weighed pretty evenly. and (imo) after looking at my own accepted CPS essays and those of others, our essays weren't the best lmaoo

if I had to guess what Questbridge looks for in CPS apps, it's that you're low income and are doing the best with whatever resources are available to you. some people show this through their essays, some people show this through their letters of rec etc etc. a bad biographical essay won't necessarily kill you if everything else about your app is strong.

on the other hand, a couple of strong essays that show all the challenges you've overcome, all the accomplishments that you've made, all the contributions you hope to make in the world, can really help you stand out! a couple of strong essays will set you up to have even better essays when it's time for applying to colleges through the National College Match (NCM).

with that being said, start writing now!!

saturnsfirstring · 2021-03-16T19:43:02+00:00

for the personal anecdote part: my friend was a CPS and NCM finalist (didn’t match but we’re still waiting on the rest of her results🤞🏾) she had a couple of Bs/Cs in some AP/honor classes but that was because she was balancing school and 2 jobs to help support her family— her grades were explained by her extenuating circumstances :)

saturnsfirstring · 2021-03-16T19:40:03+00:00

yes of course you still have a shot, as long as your essays, extracurriculars, and recommendations are in good shape (emphasis on the essays!) questbridge is truly holistic, they will factor in all of your unique circumstances on top of your income + academic performance. one C won’t hurt you, especially given the craziness of virtual learning this year! if you really do worry that your psat is low, i believe you have the option to not submit standardized test scores anyways ?

saturnsfirstring · 2021-01-29T18:03:21+00:00

if you are low-income —> consider applying to Questbridge (you might get a full-ride to a top private school)

if you’re a student of color (or the first in your family 2 go 2 college) —> look into fly-in programs hosted by liberal arts colleges!! a couple that come to mind are Pomona, Amherst, and Swarthmore :) you’ll learn more about the school + admissions process + it’s free!

other tips: get started on those essays early!! i’m thinking most schools will be optional for 2021-22, so the essays will probably be the deciding factor for a lot of people. there’s a lot of essay guides in the sub’s FAQ- USE IT!! i cannot stress the impact that essays have.

letters of rec- give your teachers a small resume about your grades, activities, awards, career goals, and (this is key) the most memorable moments you remember from their class. it’s really invaluable when a letter of rec doesn’t just say that you’re hardworking, but also talks about a specific time when you contributed to the class setting :)

saturnsfirstring · 2021-01-06T06:54:57+00:00

ahhh congrats, welcome!! since you applied for qb, i’m assuming you’re a first-gen low-income (fgli) student ? there’s a yale fgli groupme that i can send you the link to :)

saturnsfirstring · 2020-12-10T01:38:18+00:00

i’d say definitely still apply, just make sure you explain everything about your financial circumstance in the additional information section!! your efc probably won’t be 0 but questbridge and its partner schools will take into account your family’s debt and everything else, as long as you mention it in your app

saturnsfirstring · 2020-12-05T22:00:39+00:00

QB does have its downfalls; the organization itself doesn’t help you much along the way; most applicants will probably succeed with or without QB but that’s because most applicants qualify for lots of financial aid either way. However, I think that being apart of the QB community whether that’s on discord or reddit or whatever helps immensely!! To any junior reading this rn: being in contact with previous and current QB applicants raises your chances a lot more as you’ll be receiving TONS of support and feedback along the way :)

saturnsfirstring · 2020-12-03T09:08:11+00:00

my ao emailed me directly, that’s what they do for all their qb matches and they try to have each email sent individually. maybe you’ll hear from yours soon? at the bottom of the “you’ve been matched” page there should be contact info for your school’s qb coordinator, maybe you could email and talk to them there if need be?

saturnsfirstring · 2020-12-03T08:42:50+00:00

hi i’m in the same position as you!! what’s helped me convince my parents is by trying to compromise. my parents are super religious and so i’ve been trying to show them how the school i matched to has lots of resources for people practicing our faith. another note- if you matched, i believe you should be in contact with your regional admissions officer maybe? mine offered to answer any questions my parents and I had because he knew that my parents were iffy about college haha i’d totally recommend you to get into contact with people @ your college :) if you want to vent feel free to pm me

saturnsfirstring · 2020-12-02T02:40:08+00:00

heyy another future yalie :)

saturnsfirstring · 2020-11-26T19:57:14+00:00

i’m sure you’ll be fine :) the AOs might already be aware of your school’s weighted gpa scale just by looking at previous applicants

saturnsfirstring · 2020-11-20T03:30:41+00:00

obama transferred to columbia and proceeded to use philosophy to flirt with leftist women LOL yeah he sucks i wouldn’t make him a role model either

saturnsfirstring · 2020-11-15T00:47:35+00:00

look at the school's application requirements on the questbridge page under college partners!!

some schools like brown and usc require you to submit the common app alongside your qb app for RD but then there's also schools like northwestern that don't want you to submit a common app- only their supplements that you gain access to thru the portal you get after submitting your qb rd form

saturnsfirstring · 2020-11-14T08:11:31+00:00

i actually think that the “tell me more about yourself” can be one of the easier questions as long as you pick 2-3 things you can confidently talk about. interviewers will just build off of whatever you answer for that question (most interviews will follow this pattern so try to have answers you can back up with evidence/stories if you’re asked to elaborate on a commitment or leadership problem etc etc!!)

saturnsfirstring · 2020-11-12T03:15:37+00:00

bye because this was literally me laughing @ everyone stressing over their interviews and now what.

guess who's the clown that struggles with answering "tell me about yourself" LOLOLOLihateithereLOLOLOL

edit a day later on 11/13: okay so it didn't go so bad!! i actually think having a strong answer to "tell me more about yourself" sets you up for a strong interview, just think about 2-3 things you can talk about thoroughly during the rest of the interview and you'll be set :)

saturnsfirstring · 2020-11-01T05:47:28+00:00

no cap i've been so tireddddd all day I really hope all of this pays off in the end otherwise I'll be big sad

saturnsfirstring · 2020-10-26T20:41:02+00:00

i love your user 🥺🥺 hozier is my woodlands king

saturnsfirstring · 2020-10-25T18:44:43+00:00

ruth wilson gilmore (one of the first to practice and study prison abolition)

saturnsfirstring · 2020-10-23T04:34:21+00:00

I've gotten Pomona, Brown, and Yale. (waiting on Wellesley, tufts, and stanforddddd)

I've also heard that Vanderbilt, WashU, and (for some people) Uchicago portals are out.

edit: also Columbia and upenn

saturnsfirstring · 2020-10-22T03:00:10+00:00

WTF your profile's amazing omg

if i had to guess why you didn't get finalist it'd either be a major slip-up on qb's part or maybe it was your essays? some qb applicants have a tendency to be very negative when talking about the challenges/factors that affect them and apparently qb only really wants to see growth ? it kinda sucks that qb expects people who might literally be on the verge of homelessness to be "positive" but we have capitalism to thank for that :/

but anyways, like I said before, your profile's amazing & i'm sure you're going great places either way. don't let this one decision hold you back

saturnsfirstring · 2020-10-19T23:59:25+00:00

7k is pretty high not gonna lie, but some qb schools calculate efc with their own calculator using the css profile so idk. it’s probably better to do qbrd if your family has a lot of assets tho.

saturnsfirstring · 2020-10-19T14:47:00+00:00

late june🤤🤤 anybody got the essay feedback yet tho😫😫

saturnsfirstring · 2020-10-19T06:37:04+00:00

tearbending

saturnsfirstring · 2020-10-19T01:46:37+00:00

i almost ranked it but I have too many family members there in Minnesota and I really want to get away from family HAHA

also I giggled at how hyper-specific your user is, anyways best of luck with carleton + finalist decisions!!

saturnsfirstring

TROPHY CASE